Bag fastening device



April 25, 1967 WARD 3,315,324

BAG FASTENING DEVICE Filed July 21, 1965 INVENTOR. Raymond E. Ward ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,315,324 BAG FASTENING DEVICE Raymond R. Ward, North Royalton, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Harold A. Rippl, Berea, Ohio Filed July 21, 1965, Ser. No. 473,674 4 Claims. (Cl. 2430.5)

This invention relates to fastening devices for various securement purposes, such devices being herein disclosed in connection with the closing of a bag, sack, or similar tflexible container.

The invention has for its primary object the provision of a fastening device of the aforesaid nature which is characterized byits structural simplicity, its inexpensive manufacturing costs, the attractive forms in which it may be made, and the particularly effective manner in which it performs its function.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a simple, one-piece fastening device which can be folded to enclasp the open end portion of a tflexible bag or similar container, said device having means integrally formed therewith for securing its ends to each other.

1 Another object is to provide a fastening device of the above type having transverse areas of reduced thickness to form hinge portions for folding the device.

' Still another object is to provide such a fastening device having a central body portion and foldable end body portions, one end portion having an integrally formed latch and the other end portion having an aperture for receiving the latch when the end body portions are folded inwardly toward said central body portion.

Another object is to provide a fastening device as set forth above wherein one of said end body portions is foldable to a position which is nearly parallel with the central body portion, with one of said body portions having an aperture and the other of said body portions carrying a stud which interfits the aperture when said central and one end body portions are folded nearly parallel.

Further objects of the present invention, and a number of its advantages, will be referred to in or will be evident from the following description of two embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of the fastening device of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side edge view of the fastening device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fastening device of FIG. 1 shown inone latched position;

FIG. 4 is an elevation of the open end portion of a bag showing the fastening device of the first embodiment applied thereto;

FIG. 5 is a transverse section taken along the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the fastening device of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a side edge view of the fastening device of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an elevation of the open end portion of a bag showing the fastening device of the second embodiment applied thereto; and

FIG. 9 is a transverse section taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

Before the device illustrated is specifically described,

it is to be understood that the invention here involved is not limited to the structural details or arrangement of parts shown since fastening devices embodying the present invention may take various forms. It is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein employed is for the purpose of description and not of limitation since the scope of the present invention is denoted by the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1-3, the fastening device of this invention, as herein illustrated, is generally indicated at 10 and is made of any suitable material, one such material being flexible polypropylene. Said fastening device is rectangular in shape having a substantial thickness throughout the major portion of its longitudinal dimension. The device is transversely grooved at both its upper and lower surfaces as indicated by the upper grooves 11 and 12 and the lower grooves 13 and 14. The grooves 11 and 13 are disposed opposite each other as are the grooves 12 and 14, each pair of grooves alfording a transversely directed, relatively thin hinge. The grooves 11 and 13 provide a hinge 15 and the grooves 12 and 14 provide a hinge 16. Said hinges are spaced from each other and inwardly from the ends of the fastening device substantial distances whereby said fastening device is divided into three body portions 17, 18, and 19.

The body portion 17 is disposed adjacent to one end of the fastening device 10 adjacent to the hinge 15 and is provided with a pair of T-shaped apertures 20 and 21. Said T-shaped apertures are disposed with the stems of the Ts along the longitudinal centerline of the fastening device 10, the aperture 21 being disposed adjacent to the hinge 15 and the aperture 20 being spaced outwardly therefrom in the direction of the distal end of the body.

portion 17. The T-shaped aperture 20 comprises a transversely enlarged portion 22 constituting the crossbar of the T and a relatively smaller notch 23 constituting the stem of the T. Similarly, the T-shaped aperture 21 has an enlarged portion 24 and a notch 25. The body portion 19 is disposed at the other end of the fastening device 10 adjacent to the hinge 16 and is provided with an arrowshaped latch 26 having a transversely narrow neck 27 and a relatively enlarged head 28.

As shown in FIG. 2, the body portions 17 and 19 are swingable or pivotable about the hinges 15 and 16 respectively either upwardly or downwardly in use of the fastening device 10. To secure the fastening device, the body portion 19 is first pivoted in the direction of either the arrow 30 or the arrow 31 as indicated by the broken line positions 19a or 19b respectively. The body portion 17 is pivoted either in the direction of the arrow 32 or the arrow 33 to an upward or downward position as indicated in broken line positions at 17a or 17b. If the body portion 19 is folded upwardly as indicated at 19a, it is folded over the central body portion 18 to such an angle whereby the upwardly pivoting of the body portion 17a will cause the head 28 of the latch 26 to enter either the enlarged portion 22 of the aperture 20 or the enlarged portion 24 of the aperture 21. The natural resilience of the plastic material then causes the neck 27 to spring upwardly into either the notch 23 or the notch 25. The fastening or connecting of the end body portions 17 and 19 can as readily be effected by folding said end body portions downwardly or in the opposite direction as indicated in the broken line showings at 19b and 17b.

FIG. 3 shows, in perspective, a fastening device in the latched or folded condition with the latch 26 being disposed in the outermost, T -shaped aperture 20. It will be noted that in this position, the enlarged head 28 prevents the end body portions 17 and 19 from pivoting away from each other and effectively mechanically locks them together.

The fastening device of this invention is adapted to be folded and latched around any object where a clamping or gripping means is needed. As shown in FIG. 4, it is herein disclosed as used for closing the open end portion 35 of a flexible bag 34 whereby said open end portion is compressed together to receive the fastening device 10. The fastening device is then folded and latched around said open end portion 35 in the manner described in connection with FIG. 2. If the bag is made of particularly heavy :material or has a large open end portion even when compressed, the fastening device 10 is secured as shown in FIG. 3 with the latch 26 disposed in the outer T-shaped aperture 20 thereby affording a larger opening between the body portions 18 and 19. For smaller bags or bags having a smaller neck portion, the T-shaped aperture 21 is used whereby the open end portion 35 is compressed nearly flatwise between the body portions 18 and 19 to afford a tight closure.

The fastening device 10 is quickly and easily removable from the open end portion 35 of the bag 34 by squeezing the body portions 18 and (19 together whereby the neck 27 of the latch 26 moves into the enlarged portion (22 or 24) of the associated T-shaped aperture after which the body portion 17 is pivoted outwardly away from the body portion 19 to disengage said latch from the aperture.

The second embodiment of the invention comprises a fastening device generally indicated at 40 and illustrated in FIGS. 6-9. The fastening device 40 is also preferably made of a suitable flexible material of substantial thickness, as in the first embodiment. The upper surface of said fastening device is provided with transversely directed, spaced grooves 41 and 42 which afford transverse hinges 43 and 44 respectively. Said hinges are so spaced as to divide the fastening device 40 into three body portions 46, 47, and 48, the body portions 46 and 48 being disposed at the ends beyond the hinges 43 and 44-, and the body portion 47 being disposed between said hinges.

The body portion 46 has a rounded distal end 49 and a rectangular aperture 50 which said aperture is centrally located with respect to the longitudinal center line of the fastening device 40 and extends from the hinge 43 outwardly a substantial distance in the direction of the rounded end 49. The body portion 48 has an integrally formed latch 51 which has an upwardly directed catch portion 52 of a dimension whereby it is easily insertable through the aperture 50.

The body portion 48 also carries a stud 53 which is disposed on the centerline of the fastening device 40 and projects downwardly a substantial distance perpendicularly to the lower surface of said body portion 48. The central body portion 47 is apertured at 54 to receive the stud 53 when the end body portion 48 is folded over the central body portion 47. The aperture 54 is preferably slightly elongated and oversize to insure easy entry of the stud 53.

By referring to FIG. 7 of the drawings, it will be noted that because the fastening device 40 is grooved only at its upper surface, the natural pivoting or hinging motions of the end body portions 46 and 48 are downwardly as the device is illustrated. The securement of the end body portions 46 and 48 together is substantially similar to that described in connection with the first embodiment of the invention with the end body portion 48 being first folded downwardly and to the left in the direction of the arrow 57 to substantially the position shown in broken line at 48a where subsequent pivoting of the end portion 46 in the direction of the arrow 58 to substantially the position shown in broken line at 46a allows the latch 51 to project through the aperture 50. The natural resilience of the plastic material causes the end portion 48 to spring outwardly sufficiently to cause the catch portion 52 to hook behind the outermost edge of the aperture 50 whereby the fastening device 40 is retained in the latched or hooked position. In such position, the stud 53 projects through the aperture 54.

FIG. 8 shows the manner in which a fastening device 40 is applied to the open end portion 60 of a net bag 59. Said open end portion 60 is folded or wadded together whereby the body portions 47 and 48 can be folded over it. The stud 53 is then projected through the net material of the bag and into the aperture 54 thereby mechanically locking the fastening device 40 to the net bag 59. The fastening device 40 is then secured or snapped together in the manner previously described whereby the upper end of the bag is held firmly closed. The fastening device 40 is removed in exactly the same manner as that described in connection with the first embodiment by pressing the two body portions 47 and 48 together and pivoting the end body portion 46 outwardly away from the latch 51. It will be understood that the fastening device 40 of the second embodiment may be provided without the stud 53 and aperture 54 and that if not so provided, it would function in substantially the same manner as the fastening device 10 of the first embodiment.

It will be noted in FIGS. 5 and 9 that the relatively thick body portions 18 and 19 or 47 and 48 have sufficient resilience to bend somewhat around the open end portions 35 and 60 of the bags 34 and 59 whereby in their latched positions a resilient pressure is maintained against said mouth portion. However, said body portions are of sufficient thickness and have sufficient rigidity that the latches 26 and 51 do not become disengaged from their retaining apertures. The fastening devices of this invention may be removed and re-used as frequently as desired without destroying their effectiveness or usefulness.

It will be understood that many changes in the details of the invention as herein described and illustrated may be made without, however, departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A closure strip for releasably retaining in closed condition the gathered neck portion of a bag or the like, said closure strip comprising a one piece member of plastic material, said member being provided with two longitudinally spaced and transversely extending grooves which provide the member with an intermediate section and two end sections, the grooves serving as hinge connections for the three sections and each of said sections being of flat form and of substantially the same width, one of said end sections being provided at the free end thereof with a longitudinally disposed locking tab and the other of said end sections being provided with an aperture for the releasable reception and retention of said locking tab, whereby the closure stripmay be releasably secured in encircling relation about the gathered neck portion of the bag for releasably retaining said neck portion in closed condition.

2. A closure strip as defined in claim 1, wherein two apertures in longitudinally spaced relation are provided in one of said end sections for the selective releasable reception and retention of the locking tab of the other end section, the aperture selected depending upon the size of the gathered neck portion to be closed.

3. A closure strip as defined in claim 1, for use with a bag neck portion of net-like material and wherein a pin-like projection, for extension through said neck portion, is carried by one of said end sections and an aperture is provided in the intermediate section for the reception of said pin-like projection.

4. A closure strip as set forth in claim 3, wherein said pin-like projection is carried by the end section which is provided with the locking tab and wherein said pin-like projection is located on that side which is opposite the transversely of the closure strip grooved side thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Kraft 2430.5 Canady 2430.5 Lafnaer 2430.5 X Bigaouette 24-30.5 Hoadley 24-16 De Woskin et a1 24-245 FOREIGN PATENTS WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

France. France. France. Germany. Great Britain. Italy.

10 MILTON s. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. A CLOSURE STRIP FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING IN CLOSED CONDITION THE GATHERED NECK PORTION OF A BAG OR THE LIKE, SAID CLOSURE STRIP COMPRISING A ONE PIECE MEMBER OF PLASTIC MATERIAL, SAID MEMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH TWO LONGITUDINALLY SPACED AND TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING GROOVES WHICH PROVIDE THE MEMBER WITH AN INTERMEDIATE SECTION AND TWO END SECTIONS, THE GROOVES SERVING AS HINGE CONNECTIONS FOR THE THREE SECTIONS AND EACH OF SAID SECTIONS BEING OF FLAT FORM AND OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME WIDTH, ONE OF SAID END SECTIONS BEING PROVIDED AT THE FREE END THEREOF WITH A LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED LOCKING TAB AND THE OTHER OF SAID END SECTIONS BEING PROVIDED WITH AN APERTURE FOR THE RELEASABLE RECEPTION AND RETENTION OF SAID LOCKING TAB, WHEREBY THE CLOSURE STRIP MAY BE RELEASABLY SECURED IN ENCIRCLING RELATION ABOUT THE GATHERED NECK PORTION OF THE BAG FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID NECK PORTION IN CLOSED CONDITION. 